CH 4

“Hey~, I want to go this way today.”

After talking in the empty classroom as usual, and playing Pop-Up Pirate, since I had run out of material, we decided to go home.

We decided to walk to the train station together, assuming that we wouldn't be seen since the school kids were busy with club activities. To our surprise, it only took ten minutes to get there. It was overwhelmingly close. Cheers to the closest station.

This distance was kind to guys who overslept. But for me, who still wanted to be with Mitsumine, it was just a nuisance.

It's only five o'clock. Isn’t it too early to go home? I want to talk to you for a little longer before I go home. Please stay with me, for just a while longer.

But my shyness got in the way, and I couldn't honestly say that, so I struggled to squeeze these words out of my throat.

It was a brave thing for me to say, but Mitsumine looked at me as if I was a spoiled five-year-old.

Is it okay if I cry?

“Look here, A-kun. There's nothing wrong with this route though. It's a fixed path. Look, the station is just around the corner. Let's hurry up and go home.”

“Ehh, isn’t it ok to take a detour once in a while? It's still too early to go home, let's drop by the park and have a snack at the taiyaki shop in front of the park and go home! It's definitely more fun that way!”

“I don’t understand what’s so fun about that. It's definitely more useful to go home early.”

“Oh, so you’re saying that? So Mitsumine-san has experience going to the park on the way home to play and eat taiyaki?”

“That… I don’t, but.”

“If you haven’t then you can’t say for sure that it’s not fun! Isn’t it said that seeing is believing? Alright, then whoever arrives first at the park wins! The taiyaki will be the loser’s treat!!”

“HAA!? Even kids nowadays don’t start running like that while saying that! Unbelievable!”

As I ran towards the park, I glanced behind me and saw that Mitsumine was following me closely. For the third day in a row, I think I've learned how to deal with her competitive nature.

Even though I said that, I don’t think I ever really visited the park. It's close to the school, and there are a lot of food places around, so it's often used as a hangout, so I thought I'd been here at least once.

(…Or maybe, that’s just how occupied I was with her?)

I don’t think I need to say this anymore, but Mitsumine Iroha is a popular person.

I can’t say if it’s thanks to her natural virtue, but she must be a class representative and often given leadership roles. And because of her flawless way of working, the leadership role is naturally attracted to Mitsumine.

I watched her and thought, ‘As expected from her, huh’, but all the time, all I was doing was watching her.

Rather, I thought it would be annoying if I offered to help her. I thought she wouldn’t take my help because it would reduce her work efficiency.

——Was there really anyone that could’ve helped her?

“Then, I’ll be ahead of you!”

“Ehh, surely not!?”

I felt a light push on my back and my vision was shaken by Mitsumine's lively voice. I looked ahead and saw Mitsumine running as fast as she could, her hair swaying.

Eh, I’ve been overtaken. Isn’t she really amazing!? 

Desperately not wanting to lose, I ran after her——

“Haa, haa, It’s, it’s my win…”

“Kghh… I’ll definitely win next time…”

“Fuha… I’ll definitely win next time too but, A-kun’s pretty good at this too, aren’t you…!”

“*cough*, right?”

“Ah geez, we took it too seriously, this is the wo-rst……For now, should we sit down on a bench somewhere?”

“Yeah, let’s go for the taiyaki after a bit of rest…”

A few minutes later, there we were, crouched dead on a bench. It was hard just to run as fast as we could, but the summer sun was shining down on us, making us sweat profusely.

I was sure I put up a good fight, but I was so exhausted from lack of stamina that I lost without a fight. It's frustrating. It's too frustrating. Rather, isn't it really frustrating to lose even after the foul play!?

“…Mitsumine, you really are amazing.”

“What’s with that out of nowhere? I’m scared.”

Mitsumine replied, desperately fanning her face with her hands.

“No. I was just thinking that Mitsumine always makes good on your word. I live my life with insurance in case the worst happens and I can’t do something, so I really respect that.”

Perhaps, Mitsumine has decided to follow through with anything she decides on.

Unlike someone like me, who has an insurance policy in place to deal with the worst case scenario of failure. Unlike someone who deceives their surroundings and themselves. In the first place, the weight of our resolutions are different.

That’s why, unless it’s on something like Pop-Up Pirate, I could never win, or even rise up to the same stage as her.

“…………Somehow, it feels weird when A-kun compliments me so please stop.”

I was about to ask, ‘Why not?’, but I choked up. Mitsumine’s face, completely opposite to her harsh words, was dyed bright red. I could see the tears that were almost overflowing from her big cat-like eyes, forming a membrane. And above all, the corners of her mouth were turned up in happiness.

Because her appearance looked more adorable than anything else, I’m at a loss. I was at a complete loss.

“No well. Mitsumine should be more aware of your own amazingness. I mean, you’re a hard worker even in the toughest of circumstances.”

“You, you, you’ve just met me recently, so don’t act like you know me.”

“Well, that’s right. But even in this brief period of time, Mitsumine has been amazing you know?”

I want to be able to talk more about you, I want to know you more, so why don't you just let me stay beside you for the rest of our lives? You don't have to die, you know.

I didn't get to say the other half. It was because I didn't have the courage. I didn't want to spit out such heavy words with only this little energy.

“…………S-shut up. Even if you praise me that much, the taiyaki is still on A-kun's tab.”

“Yeah yeah, shall we get going then?”

Our relationship is built on this light mood. It's sad, but I'm sure it's also the reason we've been able to build this relationship.

(Well, ‘someday’ I would like to be able to be with you even if we don't have this relationship.)

In order to make that ‘someday’ come true, all I can do for now is to keep looking forward.

After resting for a while to regain our strength, we got up and started to move to the taiyaki shop in front of the park. Although I say that, it was very close by, not even three minutes away.

“The taiyaki here is seriously delicious. It feels like the taiyaki potential here is 120%.”

“I've never heard the term "taiyaki potential" before.”

“No, seriously! I'm not kidding!”

This taiyaki shop is a small stall-like store run by a long-established Japanese confectionery shop in front of the station.

Apparently, the previous owner of the store started it with the intention of ‘making it easier for young people to eat Japanese sweets’, and it’s a popular store among students, selling delicious taiyaki at reasonable prices.

It was usually crowded there, but thanks to the fact that we were out of the school rush, there was no one in the store.

“Oh, if it isn’t Kouhai-kun. Long time no see~~”

“Mi-senpai! Long time no see!”

And this is where my senior, Mochizuki Kurumi also known as Mi-senpai, who was the only one I got along with when I was a ghost club member, and who is even more of a slacker than I am, works.

“Mi-senpai, aren't you always here?”

“Nope, it’s not like I’m working here because I like it. But you know, a college student needs their money, right? I had some clothes I wanted to buy, so I had no choice but to work here you know~~. The times are hard~”

Mi-senpai said, and taking advantage of the fact that we were the only customers, she took out a manga volume that she had hidden under the counter and rustled it.

“Well, but at least no one gets angry if I slack off here you know~?”

Uwaa. As expected, she hasn’t changed even a bit. I owe her a lot for teaching me how to slack off and how to sleep without getting caught.

“Hey hey, take a seat you two. Today it’s reaaally hot so Onee-san here will treat you to some drinks. A special! Yes, so what will you two have?”

“I'll have the summer ice cream. It's hot today and I'm sweating from earlier. What about you, Mitsumine?”

“…I'll have that too.”

“Yes yes~, roger that~. Then, please wait for a while~~”

Mi-senpai said, and started pouring the batter onto the steel plate in front of us.

Then, after sticking out her tongue, she muttered, “I want to eat it too, so let's cook three!” and went to the back to look for something. You're really free, aren't you?

“How do you know that senpai?”

Mitsumine whispered to me. Since she whispered close to my ear, I felt a tingle go down my spine.

“Eh. Mitsumine, don’t tell me you’re jealous of Mi-senpa—”

“No, I’m not.”

An immediate reply, huh?

“I’m not concerned about A-kun, rather of Mochizuki-senpai.”

“Eh, you know about Mi-senpai?”

“Well of course I know about her. She was a senpai who was so famous that even people like me who were two grades further, knew of her…………There’s a lot of rumours too, about the greatest ‘genius’ in Kinosaki High School.”

“Ahh, well she’s a good person. A little crazy though.”

“Who you calling crazy??”

Oh dear. She heard me.

“Mitsumine-chan? What a good girl~!! Fufu, if you say things like that I’m gonna start blushing. Yeah. As a matter of fact, I am indeed a genius. So Kouhai-kun, shouldn’t you show me more respect?”

When I turned around, startled by the voice I suddenly heard, I saw Mi-senpai standing right in front of me.

When did you get back, or rather, are you seriously that free!?

“…But you absolutely detest being respected like that.”

“Aha, so you know exactly what I mean. As expected from my unique Kouhai!”

Mi-senpai smiled, which felt like it had some kind of sound effect attached to it, and laid out the drinks that she brought with her on the table. Apparently she went inside to get drinks.

Senpai placed a disposable plastic cup of café au lait in front of Mitsumine and I. Despite the heat of the day, she smiled, shaking the sleeves of the pitch-black hoodie she was wearing. It's been like this since she was a student, so every time I see her, especially in the summer, I want to ask her if it's not too hot, but I'm sure she'll say it's just another fashion statement, and since she's overwhelmingly self-conscious, she'll probably keep wearing a black hoodie even when it gets hotter.

(Even so, this person hasn’t changed at all from her student days…)

Kurumi Mochizuki, also known as Mi-senpai, is a well known genius. Best in mock exams. Best at sports. Best at everything she does. That's why she has the moniker of ‘genius’.

And what’s more, she has the same sort of physical appearance like Mitsumine to the point where she’s an object of admiration to many, but what’s different between the two of them, is that Mi-senpai is an extremely free spirit who only does things she’s interested in.

Because she could do anything, she would soon become bored and tired of it. That's why she goes to any extent to find something interesting.

The reason why she repeatedly joined and quit several clubs was because she was looking for something interesting. That's how Mi-senpai and I met when I was in the light music club for a while.

“She’s a real mess. When I came to try out for the light music club, even though we had never met before, she said, ‘You're the kind of person who's tired of instruments, aren't you?’ She brought a game console, even though we were not allowed to bring our own, and started a whole racing game tournament.”

“Uwaa, it’s unfair to say that I was the only one in high spirits! Even Kouhai-kun was in high spirits, saying, ‘This is the best. We can think about the music tomorrow, but the game can only be played today,’ right——!?”

“Then, after that, the advisor found out and both of us got yelled at. But we didn't learn our lesson, and the next day we took over a corner of the club room and played the game again. That was really fun!”

“I know I know, I still remember that time vividly. What a time of youth~~”

“There was also that. If one of us was skipping, they had to go to the classroom of the one not skipping, signal to them and return without being noticed.”

“Ahh, yeah yeah! That was super exciting too! You should try it too, Mitsumine-chan! It’s really fun!”

“…………No, um, it’s a discussion from a world too different from mine so I’m getting dizzy.”

Mitsumine was slightly taken aback by the scummy episodes of the scum like us who she’d probably never have been involved with.

It must’ve been a shocking discussion from the point of Mitsumine, who was a honor student among honor students. I know it wasn’t good. Even now I know it wasn’t a good thing.

At that time, we were probably desperate to get out of our lukewarm, unsatisfactory, normal lives, even if just for a little while.

“Well, even I thought of living seriously, and I have been doing so since the start of college. There’s no one who’d do stupid things with me like Kouhai-kun. Oh, though it seems that Kouhai-kun still slacks off using the key I gave him.”

“Ehehe, I loveee you, senpai!”

“Uwaa gross. Mitsumine-chan, I know he’s a scumbag like this but please try to get along with him. He’s not really a bad guy. It's just that he’s an idiot who can’t read the mood.”

“The entire U.S.A. and I cried because of the excessive display of insults. I’ll sue you, I can’t recover without a free bonus taiyaki.”

“It can’t be helped~. I'll give you one yen off. Oh, it looks like the taiyaki is ready. I'll put them in the bag now.”

Mi-senpai said that and handed us the freshly made taiyaki.

The steamy taiyaki smelled delicious, and my stomach started to growl even though I had eaten ice cream earlier.

“Do you want to eat here? Or are you going around other stalls too??”

“Ah, we'll eat in the park.”

“Then it will be 300 yen. As I said at the beginning, the drinks are on the house. So please come again.”

"Thank you very much, I will definitely come back!”

“…Thank you very much.”

I paid Mi-senpai as she chewed on her portion of the taiyaki, and Mtsumine and I thanked her, grabbed our drinks, and left the taiyaki shop.

“Alrighty, let’s return to the park before the ice cream inside us melts!”

“…………”

“Mitsumine-saaaan… Mitsumine?”

“…Ah, yeah. It’s nothing.

Mitsumine replied somewhat absentmindedly and started walking towards the park.

Now that I think about it, she seemed to be in low spirits for a while, and was taciturn.

I thought it was because she was weirded out by our scummy episodes but maybe she wasn’t feeling well?

“…Mitsumine, is the heat getting to you? If you’re tired, we can go home now—”

“L-like I said, it’s nothing! Look, shouldn’t we eat quickly?”

However, Mitsumine put on a brave front and walked briskly before she sat down on a swing. The bench we were sitting on before was now occupied by a large number of pigeons.

(…I’m worried.)

I can't help it if she says so, and from the looks of her, she doesn't look too pale, so I guess she's not in bad shape. Well, if it's a mild case of heat stroke, maybe she should eat some ice cream to cool down.

Thinking that, I sat down on the swing next to Mitsumine.

The taiyaki we ordered was a summer version with vanilla ice cream inside so that the taiyaki would taste good even in summer. The balance between the heat of the freshly baked crust and the coldness of the filling is addictive.

“Yummm~! Hey, Mitsumine, hurry up and eat!”

“Wait, you're eating it already!? ………… it's delicious!”

Mitsumine muttered after nibbling on the taiyaki. My face naturally broke into a smile after hearing her unconsciously leaked out voice.

“Isn’t it!? This taiyaki is really delicious! That’s why I really wanted Mitsumine to eat it too! I’m so glad~~, somehow even I’m very happy!”

“……………… If that's what you were planning to bring me here for, you should’ve said so from the beginning.”

“…………? What did you say just now?”

“Nothing? I didn’t say anything.”

“No, you definitely did!”

“You’re the one suffering from the heat, aren’t you? You’re hearing things.”

Damn it, because I was shouting all hyped up, I couldn’t hear what Mitsumine was muttering. Moreover, she didn’t appear to be willing to talk anymore. The greatest mistake of my life.

Well, she probably called me ‘annoying’ or ‘loud’ anyway, but I was curious.

I savored the taiyaki while thinking about this, and as I threw the last bite into my mouth, Mitsumine tugged at the hem of my uniform. The way she was looking at me with upturned eyes was exquisitely adorable. And the fact that she's definitely not conscious of it is just too cute.

“A-kun, isn’t it hot?”

“Eh? Yeah it’s hot.”

“Right.…………You can push my back for me, you know?”

“You're asking me to work for you. Well, I can't help it. I'll ask for 50 yen for one round.”

“First time's free in this day and age.”

“Uwaa. What a bad time we live in.”

I made a disgusted face and lightly pushed Mitsumine's back. The swing swayed along with it, and Mitsumine's beautiful hair swayed in the air.

“Kyaa—! It feels sort of light! How refreshing!”

“Eii!”

“Kyaaaaaa!? A-kun no baka! Shouldn’t you be pushing me more slowly!?”

“Fuhaha, it’s your fault leaving it to me! This is how the free service will be!”

“———Baka baka baka! Baka—!?”

There was no way anyone could stop when told to stop.

After a while, Mitsumine, who was a little battered from being on the swings so much, got angry and got off the swings and wanted to do the same thing back to me, but she didn't have enough strength so she eventually gave up and we ended up having a shoe skipping contest for some reason.

Huh? Somehow, hasn’t it been a while since I’ve had fun at the park?

“Hey look, Mitsumine, my shoe is farther than yours! I won!”

“No, I'm pretty sure mine flew farther than yours! Then should we go one more round!?”

“Let's do it again!”

And like that, we ended up having the shoe skipping contest for the fifth time.

But no matter how many times we did it, it was always a great time. Most of all, Mitsumine was smiling happily, raising her voice in a way she usually didn't. Seeing that made me happier than anything, and then——

“A-kun, hide!!”

Because of this, I completely forgot to look at my watch. The clock in the park showed that it was past six in the afternoon. This was the time when everyone finished their club activities and started going home.

“I knew it was Iroha-chan! See, I told you it was the real one!!”

“Eh, it actually is. What are you doing at a place like this?”

Snapping back to reality at Mitsumine’s shouting voice, I hid in the bushes of the park, and I heard the high, sweet voice of some girls. They had apparently spotted Mitsumine in the park from a distance and had come over.

“Huh, wasn't there another person besides Iroha-chan?”

“Nope, I was here alone though?”

“Really? Then maybe we were wrong.”

“Geez~, stop saying scary things like that!”

The girls were completely fooled by Mitsumine's performance.

I'm more of a representative of the inferior students, and Mitsumine is the idol of the school, so it would be troublesome to explain why we were together, and there is no way to explain it in the first place. It's best not to be found out.

Even so, she's amazing. The tone of her voice, the way she talks, and even her facial expressions are all a little different from before. No one would think that Mitsumine, with her smiling face and perfect grin, had been having a shoe skipping contest like a child just a moment ago.

“Err… Why is Iroha-chan in a place like this?”

“…Actually, I had a huge craving for taiyaki. I came here to eat them.”

Mitsumine was silent for a moment, as if searching for words, and then she said that with a big smile on her face. It was a face I had seen many times on the station platform, a smile that was surely meant to cover up something.

“Oh so that’s what it was~~. It looks like you've already finished eating, so why don't you come back with us?”

“Great! We wanted to talk more with you, Iroha-chan! You're always so beautiful and we really admire you!”

“Yeah, let's take a picture! Can I post it on social media?”

The girls said happily. They're probably desperate to chain this coincidence to the next. The fact that you are good friends with Mitsumine is a kind of status in Kinosaki High School.

“Err…”

Mitsumine looked towards me. I winked at her and said, ‘Go ahead.’

We had enough fun for today, and if you go with those girls, the image of ‘Mitsumine Iroha’ won’t collapse.

Mitsuine looked back at me for a moment and nodded slightly as if to say yes.

And then.

“Sorry. I'm meeting a friend here. I want to throw away the trash before my friend arrives, and I need to find a trash can, so I'd better go…”

She smiled awkwardly and beamingly lied to them.

“Ahh, I see, so you’re waiting for a friend! Sorry, we ended up holding you back..”

“I'm sure there's a trash can next to the taiyaki shop. I think that's the closest one.”

“Thank you. I should be off soon. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, sorry for asking unreasonable things of you! See you tomorrow!!”

Mitsumine waved to her friends and broke the idle smile of an idol that she had been wearily wearing. Then she waved a fluttering piece of trash in my direction and walked toward the taiyaki shop. Apparently, she was really going there so as not to arouse suspicion.

(…I'm really incompetent, aren't I?)

I remembered the switch-off face that Mitsumine had shown me just a moment ago, and let out a sigh.

She is so close to me, but yet I couldn't help her. No matter what words I say to her, they seem to become cliché, and I can't say anything that can save her.

I vaguely remembered Mitsumine's happy laughter, though she had been smiling happily at me just a moment ago. I wish she could keep smiling like that.

It’s fine if you’re not perfect, it’s fine even if you’re riddled with flaws, but it would be nice if you were happy. I'll buy you as many taiyaki as you want, we'll have pizza parties, we'll have a somen contest every day, all you have to do is smile.

(But just thinking about it doesn't help, does it?)

I don't want you to live like a puppet, holding something back every day. No matter how venomous or harsh your words become, I want Mitsumine to breathe easily.

If that's not possible, then I'll do it.

I want to be the one to make you happy.

(Wait, hold on. What the heck. ‘I want to be the one to make her happy’, it’s like I’m in love with Mitsumine or something.)

Stop, stop. It's strange. I'm closer to her now than I was a while ago, when I was just admiring her from afar, so my emotions are acting up. It's not good to think about it any more.

What the hell am I thinking at a time like this, when it's life or death?

Let's not think about it. I decided to stay here and quietly wait for Mitsumine, and waited for her return, which was later than I expected.

“I'm back.”

“W-welcome back. Are you glad you didn’t have to go back with your friends?”

“…No, not really.”

When Mitsumine came back, she looked more gloomy than ever, and my thoughts were blown away.

“Let's go home.”

As she said that, Mitsumine who was smiling with the beautiful afterglow of the sunset in the background, looked too fleetingly beautiful. She was really beautiful. Beautiful, but even so.

She was so beautiful that I wondered if she was really breathing.

It was as if she was about to disappear, to be swallowed up by the setting sun. I wondered if her heart was really beating. I couldn't help but to ascertain if she was still alive.

And more importantly, if I don't hold her back here, I'm afraid Mitsumine will disappear.

“…What is it?”

Unable to resist that urge, I took her hand. It was warm. It had the body heat of a person. It was the first time I felt like crying just from that.

“…………Let me go.”

“Ah, sorry.”

As if I was pulled back to reality by her small voice, I let go of her hand. Then to deceive her I called out, “You’re too slow,” and began walking before her.

No matter how long I waited, there was no reply from Mitsumine, which made me even more worried.

“…Say A-kun, what’s real about me?”

After walking for a while, Mitsumine muttered… It was such a small voice that I would normally have missed it.

“Real?”

“Ahh no, it’s not that serious of a topic though. Somehow, it feels like there’s nothing real about me.”

“…………”

“Even my friends would probably leave me if they saw me being useless, and so would my parents and teachers. I really feel like I don't have anything at all…”

As soon as she said that much, Mitsumine’s face suddenly broke into a smile. It was the same face she made whenever she was holding back.

I wonder if it's my imagination that her eyes looked somewhat red. I was just thinking about something frivolous earlier, and I felt as if my back was filled with ice instead of my spine.

“Sorry for talking about something like that out of nowhere. Well, it was 80% a joke, so you don’t have to care…………”

“…It’s not like that, is it.”

I didn't mean to do this, but the words came out of my mouth before I noticed.

“Even so, even if it’s 20% of a serious topic, it’s still an important topic! Why do you always try to lie like that, you can bother me as much as you want you know!? Rather, I want you to open up more!”

My throat started to hurt from the sudden shouting.

Aah, it’s no good. When it comes to Mitsumine, I can't keep my calm.

“………….”

“It’s all real. Your smartness, your hardworking nature, everything, everything is the result of your persistence, it’s the result of your efforts like no one else!!”

Mitsumine closed her eyes tightly, as if holding back. Did I say something awful? Or was I being annoying again?

Uwaa, I wanna die. No, I won’t die. I won’t die but I beg of you, please give me a time machine.

No, I’m not telling the truth, God. Please just make sure Mitsumine doesn’t die. Please make it so that Mitsumine can live a happy everyday life.

I don't know if my prayer was answered or not.

“…I know that even if you don’t tell me.”

Mitsumine’s words seemingly dissolved the atmosphere.

I wondered if it was because of the sunset that her slightly tinted cheeks looked red. If that's the case, I'm sure I'm going to fall in love with the sunset from now on.

“But, thank you.”

At that moment, my chest tightened up so much that I could hardly breathe. It was also the first time that just a small smile from someone made my heart beat so loud that it felt like it was going to burst.

Surely, this was the only time I would ever get to experience that.

ED: This could have been done like 4 days ago, but I was too lazy to edit it, sorry.